Celebrate!

There are plenty of life affirmations that get put on artistic signs.  And  I usually mock them.  If you need someone or something to remind you to Live, Laugh, Love! then you’ve probably got bigger problems than a sign can help you with. However, I do think people sometimes need to be reminded to celebrate the accomplishments of the day. We get caught up in measuring my win, against your win, against that person over on social media, and so on, that sometimes our win doesn’t seem like a thing worth celebrating.

But this past week, as I celebrated the release of my latest mystery novel (Eye Contact – it’s awesome, go buy it), I caught a case of the comparisons as I compared myself to another writer.  Writing is a very internal process and while there are certain parts that invite collaboration, by and large, it requires sitting down and plunking out words in solitude.  And as an introvert, that is usually fine by me, but sometimes… Sometimes I think we need some friends to show up to remind us that the things that go on in our head aren’t always real.  Fortunately for me, one of my friends excitedly commented how funny they found my book and were excited for the release.  (Get yourself some friends like that.  They’re gold.)  Thanks to her enthusiasm I remembered that oh, wait, this is a win.  It’s a whole book. MY book and I’m proud of it.

So if you’re over there struggling with what someone else has done… This is me whispering in your ear.  Hey, you, you’re pretty cool.  Your win is good and I hope you have many more.  Don’t let comparison be the thief of your joy.

However, if you put that on a faux vintage sign, I will mock you.  (But I will also celebrate you getting it actually hung up.  Way to check something off the list!)

EYE CONTACT: Lexi Byrne, UW grad student, brilliant researcher, and high-functioning autistic is working on cutting edge research into how to replace damaged eyes with bionic technology. But after Lexi’s normal, safe, science-based life takes an abrupt left turn after her prototype is stolen, Lexi learns that not everyone on campus is who they say they are. Now Lexi’s scrambling to recover the prototype and figure out who is behind the theft before her work is sold to the Chinese. Lexi must fight her own limitations and lean on the strengths of her friends to stop a misogynistic, greedy thief and recover her work.

BUY HERE (all retailers): https://books2read.com/Maines-Eye-Contact